There's tons of different theories, beliefs and even proofs regarding where humans originally came from. As technology gets innovative each day, so called evidences of our origin also shows up. The only question is, are those facts to be believed?
Scientists have found and unearthed the jawbone in Ethiopia of what they claim to be one of the very first humans that existed in the world. The unearthed jawbone was approximately 2.8 million-year-old specimen that is about 400,000 years older than our kind who first emerged. The startling discovery was said to be product of climate change which spurred the transition from tree dweller to street walker.
Prof Brian Villmoare of the University of Nevada in Las Vegas explained that the discovery makes a crystal clear link between an iconic 3.2 million-year-old hominin (human-like primate) discovered in the same area in 1974, called "Lucy". The 2.8 million-year-old jawbone was discovered in the Ledi-Geraru research area, Afar Regional State, by Ethiopian student Chalachew Seyoum.
"The moment I found it, I realised that it was important, as this is the time period represented by few (human) fossils in Eastern Africa." - Chalachew Seyoum
"Previously, the oldest fossil attributed to the genus Homo was an upper jaw from Hadar, Ethiopia, dated to 2.35m years ago, So this new discovery pushes the human line back by 400,000 years or so, very close to its likely (pre-human) ancestor. Its mix of primitive and advanced features makes the Ledi jaw a good transitional form between (Lucy) and later humans." - Prof Chris Stringer to BBC News
"By discovering a new fossil and re-analysing an old one we have truly contributed to our knowledge of our own evolutionary period, stretching over a million years that had been shrouded in mystery," - Prof Fred Spoor of University College London
The timeline of the jawbone's existence would surely help uncover the mystery of human evolution. A separate study suggests that a change in climate might have been a huge factor. An analysis of the fossil plant and animal life in the area suggests that what had once been lush forest had become dry grassland. As the trees made way for vast plains, ancient human-like primates found a way of exploiting the new environmental niche, developing bigger brains and becoming less reliant on having big jaws and teeth by using tools.
"The human-like features shown by Australopithecus sediba in South Africa at around 1.95 million years ago are likely to have developed independently of the processes which produced (humans) in East Africa, showing that parallel origins are a distinct possibility, These new studies leave us with an even more complex picture of early humans than we thought, and they challenge us to consider the very definition of what it is to be human. Are we defined by our small teeth and jaws, our large brain, our long legs, tool-making, or some combination of these traits?"- Prof Chris Stringerof the Natural History Museum